Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad

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purpose provided it is reproduced without alteration or omission, and that a link is
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GUARDING THE TONGUE


Importance of the Tongue
People are a combination of organs that if rectified and used
properly, can rectify the person. The tongue is a very small
organ among these organs that is often used very
improperly. This is resonated in an Arabic proverb that says
that the tongue may be physically small but leads to major
sins.
One major sin that angers Allah u is hypocrisy; not
practicing what one preaches. The words spoken by a
believer are valued greatly by Allah u and hence, should be
truthful.

O you who believe! Why say you that which you do not? [61:2]

The Holy Quran further states elsewhere:

Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready to
note it [50:18]

The Affirmation of Faith (Kalimah Shahadah)
Allah u values the Affirmation of Faith (shahadah) so
highly that He will absolve all who recite it with sincerity.
Even the unbeliever who has spent his entire life reveling in
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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
sin will be absolved of his sins if he recites this affirmation of
faith with sincerity. The spiritual elders relate that whenever
anyone recites these valuable words and enters Islam, an
angel flies towards the heavens. During this angels flight, he
encounters another angel descending towards the earth. The
latter asks his counterpart where he is going, and the
ascending angel replies, Someone has accepted Islam and I
am going to present this deed to Allah u. Where are you
going? The descending angel replies, I am taking good
tidings of forgiveness from Allah u for the person who has
accepted Islam. Indeed, words spoken by the tongue can be
so powerful, that for their sake, Allah u forgives a whole
life of sin.
There is no comparison between the rule of law of this
life and that of Allahs u rules and mercy. If a person is
ever falsely accused in this earthly existence but then fully
exonerated upon investigation, society may declare that
individual totally innocent of any charges, but the initial
accusation and resulting investigation still become a matter
of record for that persons life. However, Allah u is so
merciful that He not only forgives a person on the face value
of the beautiful words of the shahadah and repentance, but
also wipes his entire record clean as if that person never
sinned. Furthermore, a hadith records that Allah u even
wipes clean the memory of the recording angels so that they
cannot be witnesses on the Day of Judgment.

The Impact of Mockery
Today, people lie, spread rumors, mock, and hurt others
merely for pleasure or to feel superior. People should note
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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
that wounds inflicted by a sword can heal, but those
inflicted by the tongue last forever. Allah u warns against
mockery in the Holy Quran.

O you who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at
others; it may be that (the latter) are better than (the former)
[49:11]

Such serious words and insults flow from the tongue very
easily but will place their speaker in a very precarious
position on the Day of Judgment, because Allah u detests
this kind of behavior.

Speech Culminating in Disbelief (Ku r) f
The scholars (ulama) have been gracious enough to give us
examples of speech that would be labeled blasphemous and
that would lead a person to disbelief (kufr). It is unfortunate
that Muslims come to speak such words very easily.
For example, someone asks another person where he
lives? And so the person asked replies that he lives in a
remote area apparently very far away. May Allah u forgive
us, because we are only stating an example, but then the first
individual says, So far that you are even out of Allahs u
reach?
This individual may have said this in ignorance and jest,
but the dangerous reality is that such a statement takes the
person out of the fold of Islam and as one consequence,
immediately divorces him from his wife.
Another incident occurs in the circumstance where
someone points out an important ruling of the shariah to
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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
another who becomes irate and says something to the effect
of Forget your shariah! or Keep your shariah to yourself!
People may think they are saying such things in jest but
the truth be told that the heavens and the earth tremble in
fear at such sweeping statements that render a heart empty
of faith.

Importance of Words
Words are extremely important and carry tremendous
weight. This is exemplified by the fact that a woman who
minutes ago was prohibited for a man to touch, can become
his wife just by the short expressions of the marriage
contract (nikah). Consequently, a wife who was a life
companion a few minutes ago can become totally forbidden
for the man due to the equally potent short words signifying
divorce. One does not have to climb mountains or traverse
pits of fire for circumstances to culminate in success or
disaster, because a believers words carry so much weight
and value with Allah u.
Each and every spoken word is recorded and presented in
front of Allah u. This is why the People of Allah u choose
their speech very carefully because they are well aware that
they will be answerable for it. In fact, our righteous
predecessors would write down everything they said in the
course of a day and account for this speech at night,
repenting for any wrong they may have said.

The Fear of Allah u
Hadrat Abdullah ibn Mubarak (May the mercy of Allah u
be upon him) was returning from Hajj when he noticed an
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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
elderly lady approaching from the other direction. She
replied to his greeting with a verse from the Holy Quran.

Peace! A word (of salutation) from a Lord Most Merciful
[36:58]

He asked her where she was coming from. Once again, she
quoted the Quran in her answer:

And complete the Hajj or Umrah in the service of Allah [2:196]

Hadrat surmised that she had just completed the Hajj
and asked her why she was coming towards him from the
opposite direction. She replied with a quote as before:

To such as Allah rejects from His guidance there can be no
guide [7:186]

Hadrat Abdullah ibn Mubarak understood that she was
lost and asked where she was going. Her next quote told
him that she was returning to the city and so he offered to
guide her because he was going the same way. Having
traveled for some time, Hadrat Abdullah started reciting
some poetry in Arabic and so the lady recited a verse from
the Holy Quran:

Read as much of the Quran as may be easy for you [73:20]

Hadrat Abdullah ibn Mubarak now kept silent, but
asked himself who this lady might be. Along the way, he
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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
tried to find out more about her, but she put an abrupt end
to his questions with yet another verse.

Ask not questions about things which, if made plain to you, may
cause you trouble [5:101]

Reaching the outskirts of the town, Hadrat asked her
who she had to meet up with. From her reply, he
ascertained that Allah u had blessed her with sons and
wealth.

Wealth and sons are the allurements of the life of this world
[18:46]

Entering the town, Hadrat noticed a caravan of pilgrims
(hujjaj) that had obviously stopped for rest along the way
and asked the lady the names of her sons. Just as she had
done throughout, she replied with a Quranic verse and said:

Ibrahim, Ismail and Isaac [2:133]

As soon as Hadrat Abdullah called out these names, three
handsome youths came running toward him. As they had
been extremely worried regarding their mothers
whereabouts, they had been searching all the caravans. Now,
they were overjoyed to see her. Her benefactor was about to
leave when she again quoted a verse and indicated to her
sons that they should host Hadrat Abdullah with food and
drink.

And they feed for the love of Allah [76:8]

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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
Her sons immediately ran and brought some fruit for
Hadrat, but he politely excused himself. The mother who he
had just reunited with her sons again quoted from the Holy
Quran.

We feed you for the sake of Allah alone [76:9]

Hadrat Abdullah ibn Mubarak was amazed at what had
been transpiring and asked the ladys sons why their mother
replied to everything with a Quranic verse. One of the sons
told him that their mother was a hafizah
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of the Holy
Quran and a scholar (alimah) of hadith. Her heart was so
filled with the fear of Allah u that she feared having to
account for her speech on the Day of Judgment, and hence
had spoken nothing but the Holy Quran for the last twenty
years.

The Day of Judgment
People will be held accountable for every article of speech
they uttered. No doubt, they will be completely ashamed
when they stand before Allah with the likes of those who
recited nothing but the Holy Quran all of their lives.
Answering to Allah u will prove to be a monumental task
when even prophets will tremble when asked about their
lawful deeds.
Hadrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (May the mercy of Allah u
be upon him) writes in his book Ghaniyat ut-Talibeen that
Allah u will be in intense anger on the Day of Judgment,
and will ask the Christians why they associated a created

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One who has memorized the Holy Quran (female).
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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
being to Him in worship. The Christians will at once defer
to Hadrat Isa e saying that he taught and invited them to
such worship. So Allah u will turn to Hadrat Isa e and
ask:

Did you say (this) unto men? [5:116]

When addressed by Allah u in such a manner, every
pore of Hadrat Isas e body will bleed in absolute fear of
Allah u. If this is what the Prophets reaction will be, what
will become of the common people whose tongues are ever
so loose? Carelessness in speech and action is effortless in
this world, but accounting for them will prove dangerous on
the Day of Judgment.

Inhabitants of Hell and Paradise
The Messenger a of Allah said that the leading cause of
entry into Hellfire would be the lack of control over two
bodily organs, that between the jaws and between the legs.
The Messenger a warned the Companions, and thus the
generations to come that many will descend into Hellfire
because of their inability to control their tongue and sexual
habits from the forbidden.
On the contrary, the Messenger a of Allah also said that
he would be responsible for building a house in Paradise for
those who utilize their tongue and engage in sexual intimacy
within the boundaries prescribed by Allah u.

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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
Weighing Ones Speech
We should develop the habit of reflecting on our speech
before subjecting it upon others. This way the speaker
himself will be urged to act upon his own words first and
can also weigh the appropriateness of the speech. Nowadays,
people unfortunately think after they speak, whereas others
do not even do that and keep on talking endlessly.

One tongue Allah u has given to speak with,
But two ears with which to listen.

Ideally, we should only speak after hearing, or weighing
things twice. It is pitiful that people rarely want to listen,
but rather interrupt others and start with their own vain talk
and opinions. Hence, all parties try to talk over the other at
the same time. Consequently, no one listens except the
angels and maybe the walls surrounding them. One of the
virtues that society is in need of more than ever, is for
people to listen respectfully and let their counterparts finish
speaking.

Hadrat Abu Bakrs g Fear of Allah u
Hadrat Abu Bakr g would often hold his tongue and say
that it was the main bodily organ that would be the cause of
mans descent into Hellfire. He would also say that the great
person is the one whose silence and speech is punctuated
with reflection and the remembrance of Allah u.

Slipping of the Tongue
The slipping of ones tongue is much worse than that of the
feet. If the feet slip, then one can simply get back up, but
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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
matters get dangerously out of hand if the tongue slips and
says something wrong.
Hadrat Hasan al-Basri (May the mercy of Allah u be
upon him) would often remark in his gathering that a little
girl had taught him an important lesson. When asked how,
he would reply, Once it was raining and people were
walking cautiously through the mud. I saw a little girl
approaching and cautioned her to be careful lest she slip in
the mud. The girl looked at me and said, If I slip I can
always get up, but what will happen to the Muslim nation if
you slip and fall? You have to be careful because you are our
leader and guardian. Hence, Hadrat Hasan al-Basri would
often say that a little girl taught him about steadfastness.
Hadrat Yahya bin Maadh (May the mercy of Allah u
be upon him) would often say that the heart is like a
cauldron, whereas the tongue is like the spoon. Just as the
spoon takes out whatever is in the cauldron, the true nature
of whatever is in the heart comes out onto the tongue.
Consequently if the heart is pure, the tongue will speak well
of everything and if the heart is spoiled with sin, the tongue
will only speak ill.

Correct Use of the Tongue
The People of Allah u can determine the spiritual health of
a person by the tongues speech, just as medical doctors can
determine a persons physical health by the tongues color.
Hadrat Ali g would often say, People will assume you
to be a scholar until you speak. At other times he would
say, You will be recognized by your speech. He would also
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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
say that people remain hidden behind their speech, meaning
their true character would be revealed if they were to speak.
People will rarely use inappropriate speech when at ease,
but a true assessment of a persons character can be made by
his speech when he is angered. Whether the person faces a
tumultuous situation with control and patience or with
uncontrolled anger and a flurry of insults will be the
determinant factor in assessing his character. This is yet
another reason why people must weigh the potential
consequences of their speech very carefully.
Usually the case holds true that in anger, a man loses
control over his hands and a woman over her tongue. A
womans tongue is the sword that never blunts with rust but
always remains razor sharp. Moreover, it tears apart
relationships that even swords of steel cannot separate.

Taking Care
Religious gatherings are places where respect and humility
are extremely important. Therefore, attendees at such
gatherings need to be extra careful in all aspects of behavior,
because those who come later will follow the example of
those before them. Usually, people sit humbly in such
gatherings, as if to attract attention to themselves in an
effort to show others their hollow piety.
Revered scholars have advised that people should keep
their tongues in check when in the gatherings of the
scholars, their eyes in check when in presence of their elders,
and their hearts in check when in the gatherings of the
auliyaa. Those who do not keep their tongues under control
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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
do not live long lives, because their lives are shortened by
the burdens their ill speech earns for them.

Eye Opening Advice
Hadrat Baqibillah (May the mercy of Allah u be upon
him) rarely spoke at all and once someone asked him to
render some advice for the benefit of people who had
gathered. Hadrat Baqibillah said, Those who have not
benefited from my silence will not benefit from my speech.

The deepest ones remain the most silent.

Outside of teaching or clarifying a ruling, the People of
Allah u and other respected elders do not have a love for
excess talk and remain silent. Thus, they remain in fear of
burdening themselves needlessly through futile talk, for the
only difference between the wise and the foolish is that the
wise think before they speak, but the foolish speak before
they think. It is said that there is no need to put a bell
around the neck of the foolish because their speech will soon
enough expose them. Such people should be avoided
because they have nothing beneficial to say.

Protecting Oneself from Foul Language
The Messenger a of Allah forbade swearing at or the use of
foul language with ones parents or elders. The Companions
were surprised and asked, Who would do such a thing?
and the Messenger a of Allah replied, If you swear at
anyones parents, he will in turn swear against yours which
is the same as you swearing against your own parents.

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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
Victory in Truth
A piece of land in India was once disputed between Hindus
and Muslims with each side claiming it as theirs. The
Hindus wanted to build a temple on the land and of course
the Muslims in turn wanted to build a mosque. The matter
was so delicate and escalated to such a degree that the whole
area threatened to be engulfed in war over the dispute, and
the ruling British at the time worriedly sought a solution.
The British convened a court to try to resolve the issue
and before its convening, the presiding judge asked both
sides for a potential settlement to the land dispute. The
Hindu delegation said that they had a possible resolution,
and suggested that the judge call forth a specific Muslim
alim of their choosing and the question of rightful
ownership should be posed to him. The Hindu side further
claimed they would be satisfied with whatever that
particular alim decided. However, they insisted against
naming him in public, but would only name him in secret
to the judge. The judge agreed to this proposal and set a
future date for the case.
The Hindu public was very irate at their spokesmen who
had suggested this idea, because now the dispute seemed
guaranteed to be settled in favor of the Muslims. In turn,
the Muslims were ecstatic that the decision would almost
certainly be in their favor. An alim would certainly want a
mosque to be built on the land instead of a Hindu temple.
People crowded the court on the date the case was to be
heard and a venerable Muslim shaykh whose word even the
Hindus greatly respected was presented in front of the
judge. The judge asked this Muslim alim who the rightful
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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
owner of the land was and without hesitation the alim said
that the land belonged to the Hindus. The judge further
asked if the Hindus could then build their temple there or
not, and the alim answered, When the land belongs to
them, it is their right to build whatever they like, either a
temple or a house.
According to the prior agreement, the judge ruled in
favor of the Hindus, but recorded his decision in historical
words. He wrote that whereas Muslims lost the ruling, Islam
proved victorious.
Hearing this landmark decision, the Hindu party present
at the court was so touched by this alims character that
they publicly declared their acceptance of Islam and further
announced that they would build a mosque on the land.
Through the blessing of truthfulness Allah u not only
opened the door for the Hindus to accept Islam, but also
gave them the blessed opportunity to build a mosque. Truth
always guarantees victory.

Faced with a thousand fears the tongue is still witness for the heart,
Thus has been the way of the conquerors of the past.

A Formula for Repentance
Seekers are quick to complain that their progress has
stagnated and consequently their lessons are proving
difficult. However upon analysis, this is all due to
disobedience in one way or another to Allahs u
commands.
Effective treatment always involves medication and
avoidance of certain foods and activities. Seekers may be
performing the remembrance of Allah u (dhikr) according
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Guarding the Tongue excerpted from The Sermons by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad
to the shaykhs instructions, but they will not progress if
they continue to sin by using their limbs and organs
contrary to Allahs u wishes. If there is sin in the heart, it
will direct the entire body toward sin. So unless the heart is
purified, prayer and remembrance is only lip service through
which one cannot progress.
May Allah u grant us the wisdom through which we
may use our tongue properly and forgive any sins we have
committed. Ameen.


This material is strictly for non-commercial purposes only. It may be used for such a
purpose provided it is reproduced without alteration or omission, and that a link is
provided to the website www.tasawwuf.org. All other uses require the explicit
written permission of the publisher.

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